Lemon Crunch Curd (Quick & Easy)

Betty's special version of this quick and easy dessert. No cooking, frying or baking!

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup lemon curd
3/4 cup crushed puff pastry cookies

1.  Whip cream until stiff
2.  Stir lemon curd to loosen and stir in about a half cup of the whipped cream.
3.  Mix the cream and lemon curd mixture.

Place some of the crushed cookies in a serving dish, top with some of the lemon mixture, layer with more cookies and cream.
Garnish the top with a sprinkle of the cookies.

Betty's special guest assistants: Lucy (L) & Maya (R)

WATCH THE SHORT VIDEO:

Nutella Cookies

Nutella Cookies

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp.
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup Nutella
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tap. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts


Sift together flour cocoa, salt and baking soda, stir to combine and set aside.
Cream butter until light and creamy, 2-3 minutes.  Add sugar and Nutella and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating to blend well.  Add vanilla and mix in.
Add flour mixture and blend well on low speed, scraping down sides of bowl once or twice.
Fold in chocolate chips and hazelnuts and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Drop teaspoonfuls of dough onto parchment lined cookie sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Allow to cool for a minute or two before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Note:  cookies will be soft when baked but will crisp up as they cool. Makes a LOT of cookies!

Brandy Snaps

I recently invited some friends for a "proper" Afternoon Tea.  I served the obligatory cucumber sandwiches and smoked salmon sandwiches along with shrimp salad rolls, scones with butter and raspberry jam, mini lemon meringue tarts, fresh fruit and Brandy Snaps.  I don't think any of the women there had tasted Brandy Snaps before and they were the hit of the afternoon.  I'm happy to share the recipe with you.

Brandy Snaps

Ingredients:

¼ cup light corn syrup
¼ cup molasses
½ cup butter
1 cup flour
⅔ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons brandy

1. Preheat oven to 300°.
2. Heat the syrup and molasses to boiling. Remove from heat and add butter.
3. Combine the flour, sugar and ginger. Add gradually, while stirring to molasses mixture. Mix well. Add brandy.
4. Drop by half-teaspoonfuls three inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake ten minutes or until large bubbles have subsided.
5. Remove from oven, loosen one cookie at a time and roll over handle of a wooden spoon. Slip off carefully. Serve filled with whipped cream.

Variation:  Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets for cookie "baskets".
Use a large cookie sheet and make two at a time. Bake at 325° for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to set for a moment or two and drape over inverted custard cups. Let sit until crisp.

Cautions:      Do not attempt to make these on a humid day!
Do not fill with cream until an hour or so before you are ready to serve - they will dissolve.

WATCH THE VIDEO DEMONSTRATION:

Meringue Kisses

My Christmas/Holiday cookie platter

Here is one of our Christmas cookie platter favorites: Meringue Kisses

3 egg whites, at room temperature
½ teaspoon cream of tarter
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon mint flavoring
a few drops of green food coloring

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°.

Using the whisk attachment on a stand mixer (you may also use a hand mixer - it will just take a little longer) start beating the egg whites.  When they become foamy, add the cream of tarter and continue beating adding the sugar very gradually until the mixture is quite stiff - it should hold a peak.  Add the flavoring and coloring and transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a star tip.

Pipe out small stars onto the parchment - they won't spread so they can be fairly close together.  If you like, pipe out some sticks as demonstrated.

Bake for 1 hour.  Allow to cool completely before dipping in tempered chocolate.  (Instructions for tempering follow.)

Watch the video demonstration;

A Better Oatmeal Cookie

For years I have been making oatmeal raisin cookies from the recipe on the Quaker Oats box and they are a good cookie. But a few weeks ago we were having lunch with friends at Wegman's grocery store and had their oatmeal cookies for dessert. They were so much better that I had to figure out how to make them. With just a few changes to the original recipe, I had cookies that had a deeper taste, were "chewier" and lasted longer - well, not really since they disappeared very quickly. I also now have a neighbor who will do anything for me for a dozen of these!


A Better Oatmeal Cookie

8 ounces (2 sticks) butter, softened
1½ cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts


Heat oven to 350°.
Beat together butter and sugar until creamy.
Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.
Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well.
Stir in oats, cranberries or raisins and nuts; mix well.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheet. (I like to use a small ice cream scoop - it makes for uniform cookies and its faster.)
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.


Makes about 4 dozen cookies.


Note: Scooped cookies may be frozen before baking - just line them up on a parchment-lined baking sheet, freeze well, then pop into a plastic bag. They will keep for 2 months or so. Just bake a few minutes longer.


Watch the video demonstration;

Russian Teacakes

When I started baking Christmas cookies the recipe for Russian Teacakes came from a Betty Crocker cookbook which had been given to me as a gift from our dear friends Lenny and Terry who were our neighbors when we lived in Washington, DC.  I still have the book in my collection (which now numbers over 1500 books!).  It's a bit tattered and stained, but reading it brings back so many wonderful memories.

I always start my holiday cookie baking with these cookies.  You may use any nut you like, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts (my favorite) or pecans.

Russian Teacakes

Ingredients:

1 cup butter at room temperature
½ cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ¼ cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup finely chopped nuts

1.  Mix thoroughly butter, sugar and vanilla,
2.  Sift together and stir in the flour and salt.
3.  Mix in the chopped nuts. Chill.
4.  Roll into 1" balls and place on ungreased baking sheet (cookies do not spread).
5.  Bake at 400° 10 to 12 minutes, until set but not brown.
6.  While still warm, roll in confectioners' sugar. Cool. Roll in sugar again.

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